Consumers may use a transaction account, which may be associated with an account number and/or transaction instrument (e.g., charge card, credit card, debit card, gift card, etc.), as a form of payment or for identification in various transactions. Transaction instruments are desirable for a number of reasons such as, for example, utilizing a transaction instrument associated with a stored value (e.g., pre-paid) card may be a safe and convenient way to avoid carrying or handling cash and loose change. Also, it is often convenient to give pre-paid cards as gifts or to use pre-paid cards to pay for transactions while traveling.
Stored value cards are forms of transaction instruments associated with transaction accounts, wherein the stored value cards provide cash equivalent value that may be used within an existing payment/transaction infrastructure. Stored value cards are frequently referred to as gift, pre-paid or cash cards, in that money is deposited in the account associated with the card before use of the card is allowed. If a customer deposits ten dollars of value into the account associated with the card, the card may be used for payments up to ten dollars.
“Open cards” are cards that are generally accepted at different merchants. Examples of open cards include American Express®, Visa®, and Discover®, MasterCard® cards, which may be used at many different retailers and other businesses. In contrast, “closed cards” are cards that may be restricted to use in a particular store or within a particular chain of a stores. One example of a closed card is a pre-paid gift card that may only be purchased at, and only be accepted at, a clothing retailer, such as The Gap®.
In distributing open cards, additional security issues often exist compared to distributing closed cards. For example, open cards may be used in more places and through a variety of authentication systems. Thus, issuer's of open cards typically do not sell those cards as off the shelf items. In fact, open cards are generally distributed through the mail. Another method of distributing an open card involves selling a dummy ‘off-the shelf’ card to a customer, whereupon a working card is later mailed to the customer. In both cases, the mailed card is generally pre-funded or pre-approved, and for security reasons, the recipient typically calls an interactive voice response (“IVR”) system to activate the card. However, the delay caused by the mailing process hinders the distribution of transaction instruments.
Banks may also distribute cards that are pre-funded and then activated via IVR, but these cards are generally kept securely behind the counter and not within the customer's reach. However, it is also desirable to distribute transaction instruments through additional channels other than banks. For example, it may be convenient for consumers to purchase transaction instruments while conducting other transactions with a third-party, such as a merchant. Similarly, an individual may wish to purchase a pre-paid card in conjunction with purchasing goods and services. In this regard, retailers such as The Gap®, sell private label, closed pre-paid cards wherein a message is transmitted to a host computer from the purchasing location upon purchase that funds and activates the card.
In addition, limitations currently exist in the amount and types of information that may be communicated between distributors of transaction instruments and the issuer of the transaction instruments. Furthermore, such communications are often delayed to a point that the usefulness of the communications is reduced. In one example, the sale of transaction instruments is communicated to the issuer through batch processes at the close of a business day.
Thus, although various systems exist for distributing transaction instruments, various funding systems have been used, and various methods exist for activating a transaction account, additional systems and methods are desired to facilitate the distribution of transaction instruments. Furthermore, a need exists for systems and methods that enable a consumer to more conveniently obtain a transaction instrument such as a stored value card.